HOPES that a prison will be built in North Wales have finally been dashed.

Prisons minister Crispin Blunt said as a result of the spending review “there are no current plans to build a new prison in North Wales”.

The statement came in a written answer to Arfon Plaid Cymru MP Hywel Williams, who blasted the UK coalition government for shelving plans for the much-needed jail despite a long-running campaign.

The comments came as the prison population in England and Wales reached a record high for the second week running as ever more people are jailed over the riots. Only last autumn Mr Blunt said: “We acknowledge North Wales remains an area of strategic need for prison places.”

At that time the Government’s spending review settlement was based on an expectation prisoner number would be around 3,000 lower, so it made sense to look at closing places in “worn-out and inefficient” jails.

Since then the coalition has been forced into a U-turn on its controversial scheme to cut prison numbers by slashing sentences by 50% for criminals who plead guilty.

In response to Mr Williams’ parliamentary question, Mr Blunt added: “Long-term decisions on the prison capacity programme will be taken in the light of future policy developments.”

Mr Williams said at the last count, 718 male prisoners from North Wales were incarcerated in England.

There were 300 at HMP Altcourse, in Fazakerley near Liverpool – where just one member of staff can speak Welsh.

“It is very sad that the Conservative-Lib Dem Government have now shelved the idea of a prison in North Wales,” said Mr Williams. “During the last parliamentary term, the Welsh Affairs Committee twice looked into the issue of the prison estate and the number of prisoners from North and mid Wales who are placed in prisons elsewhere.

“This leads to issues regarding family visiting and their integration and rehabilitation back into the community, which is one of the main aims of sending people to prison.”

Mr Williams said the previous Labour government announced a prison in Caernarfon in the spring of 2009, but scrapped the idea six months later.

That had cost many jobs in his constituency, and millions of pounds of investment in the local economy.

“They announced that, rather than meet the clear identified need for a 700-capacity prison, they would only build mega-style prisons for either 1,500 or 2,500 people. This would be entirely unsuitable for the numbers of prisoners in North Wales.

“That effectively sealed the fate of a prison in North Wales, with the Con-Dems now kicking the issue into the long grass.

“With recent civil unrest in London putting law and order in the forefront of debate, I hope the Justice Minister will look again at this issue and recognise the need for a North Wales prison which can better integrate justice services, to rehabilitate back into society those who have committed crimes rather than waste time and money locking them up again and again.”

The number of prisoners is 86,654,723, more than the previous UK record set last week and less than 1,500 short of capacity. But the government still plans to shut four jails next month.